Qualitative Evaluation of a Practice-based Experience Pilot Program for Master of Pharmacy Students in Scotland

Academic resilience in UK pharmacy education - a pilot study applying love and break up letters methodology

INTRODUCTION

Academic resilience is seen as a positive attribute that supports academic attainment and protects against attrition and burnout. Studies have reported that UK pharmacy students have lower academic resilience and wellbeing than the general UK student population but the reasons for this have not been established. This study pilots the use of a novel methodology, love and break-up letter methodology (LBM), to explore these issues focusing on the lived experience of pharmacy students.

METHOD

Final year undergraduate pharmacy study were purposely recruited to the study. Employing LBM, each participant was invited to write reflective love and break-up letters to their academic resilience in higher education during a focus group. Letters and transcripts of subsequent focus group discussion on the feelings and ideas expressed in the letters were thematically analysed.

RESULTS

Three meta-themes were identified within the data; the curriculum as gas lighting; the curriculum as abusive; and the curriculum as controlling. Students described how the curriculum diminishes academic resilience by working against their sense of agency and self-esteem. A constant threat of failure emerged as defining the student lived experience; students felt controlled by a curriculum with negative impacts on wellbeing and perseverance.

DISCUSSION

This is the first study to use LBM to explore academic resilience in UK pharmacy students. The results provide evidence that some students view the pharmacy curriculum as a source of relentless adversity that is responsible for promoting a hidden negative connection between students and their education. Further study is required to determine if the results can be generalised across the UK pharmacy student body to explain why UK pharmacy students have lower academic resilience than other UK university students and the steps needed to improve academic resilience in UK pharmacy students.

Reflections of pharmacy students on experiential education in providing health services to people with history of substance use disorders in Malaysia

Introduction: Accreditation standards for pharmacy students’ education include the requirement for experiential education (EE) and acknowledge, in building life-long learning skills, the need to develop students’ skills in analysing their practice-based performance. The goal of this qualitative study was to assess students’ ability to reflect on their experience providing face-to-face care to patients with a history of substance use disorders (PHSUDs). Materials and methods: Interviews were conducted with undergraduate pharmacy students who provided care to PHSUDs in an EE programme. An interview guide was used to explore students’ experiences and their perceptions regarding the challenges they encountered, changes in their attitude towards PHSUDs and ways to improve their ability to care for PHSUDs. Data relevant to the study was extracted from interview transcripts, manually sorted and coded using Microsoft Excel and subjected to thematic analysis.  Results: The themes identified were 1) Increased self-confidence in face-to-face interactions with PHSUDs 2) Increased empathy towards PHSUDS 3) Reduction in stigmatised attitudes towards PHSUDs 4) Positive nature of the interactions with PHSUDs 5) Appreciation for the opportunity to apply knowledge in practice 6) Recognition of the need for improved communication skill training 7) Recognition of the need to improve training for dealing with unexpected questions and situations. Conclusion: Pharmacy students demonstrated reflective skills in identifying multiple positive learning outcomes stemming from a one-day EE programme involving PHSUDs. In addition, they provided insights useful to faculty in curriculum planning.

Reflections of mentors and mentees on a national mentoring programme for pharmacists in the United Kingdom: An examination into organisational culture and systems

BACKGROUND

There is no accepted or consistent model for delivering mentoring programmes, manifesting in some debate surrounding the ideal conducive system. Mentorship structures and culture within pharmacy can be advanced by researching experiences of mentors and mentees.

OBJECTIVE

To explore lived experiences of participants in a nationwide mentoring programme in relation to motivations and barriers associated with engaging with mentoring, and what system changes and organisational culture shift could further support mentoring for pharmacy professionals.

METHODS

This study adopted a constructivist research paradigm, with a qualitative design to focus on how participants interpreted the world and their experiences. Verbatim transcripts of recordings were examined using deductive and inductive thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Participants in twenty one-to-one interviews appreciated the programme's allowance for organic relationships to occur, its contribution towards advancing the profession forward, its flexibility, and available resources. They discussed training needs and a more formal onboarding process into the programme that facilitated greater awareness of resources, as well as the need to evaluate and tweak it. System changes were highlighted so that mentoring can be part of the organisational culture, such as incorporating mentoring in job descriptions to increase capacity, senior members of the profession acting as role models, and linking mentoring to existing education and development structures.

CONCLUSION

Data demonstrated the need for formal structure but that which allowed for informal and organic relationships to develop. It is paramount for sponsoring organisations to provide resources and continuously monitor the program. The rich information gathered on administrative support and structure of a mentoring programme, along with its organisational facets, should help organisations when implementing similar initiatives. An organisation sponsoring or administering a mentoring programme must take actions that help codify its mentoring culture and its advocacy of mentoring as key to advancement for its profession's members.

Survey of undergraduates' perceptions of experiential learning in the MPharm programme: The TELL Project

Objective:

To determine the perception of undergraduate pharmacy students of their experiential learning (EL) placements both in the community and hospital settings.

Methods:

A cross-sectional survey was conducted utilizing a six-item online survey consisting of one open-ended and five closed-ended questions, the latter utilising five-point Likert-type scales ranging from strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (5). All undergraduate pharmacy students from the School of Pharmacy (N=496) were included in the study. Survey questions assessed students’ perceptions on the effectiveness of the EL, tutors and placements sites, and organisation and structure of the EL. Thematic content analysis was performed on the open-ended comments, where relevant themes were generated.

Results:

From the 139 responses (response rate: 28%), 121 responses were analysed, and of these, 72.5% already had part-time jobs in community pharmacies. Close to 85% felt that their part-time work should contribute to EL hours, which is currently not recognised by the university. Respondents were positive about the effectiveness of EL in developing their professionalism and communication (M=3.84, SD=1.05), clinical (M=3.42, SD=1.22), and technical skills (M=3.32, SD=1.25) Respondents provided favourable feedback about their experience in the hospital as it gave them a real-world exposure to the role of a hospital pharmacist. Community placements were not viewed favourably and this was mainly attributed to the poor experience with tutors whom they felt used them as an extra pair of hands. This was thought to impede their learning experience. They also felt that hospital placements were of insufficient duration, reported by 72.5% of respondents. Respondents also felt they should be sent to other sites such as primary care for placements.

Conclusions:

Tutor-training is key to ensure tutors are aware of the responsibilities and expectations. Similarly, quality assurance measures should be adopted to ensure tutors and placement sites are capable of providing students with an effective placement experience. While placement durations are a concern, the focus should be on the quality of the placement experience, and ensuring there is structure and flexibility. Content changes are also needed to include emerging placement sites such as primary care to prepare students for evolving pharmacist roles in the changing healthcare system.

The European Council on Chiropractic Education identification of critical standards to accredit chiropractic programs: a qualitative study and thematic analysis

OBJECTIVE

The objectives for this project were to: (1) identify and agree upon "critical standards" that must be "fully" or "substantially compliant" for a maximum 8-year reaccreditation, (2) compare recent compliance for each critical standard for all accredited programs, and (3) identify which standards have lower compliance levels compared to others.

METHODS

This qualitative study uses thematic analysis. The 37 European Council on Chiropractic Education (ECCE) standards were assessed by the Quality Assurance Committee (QAC) to identify "critical standards" requiring "fully" or "substantially compliant" ratings for the maximum 8-year accreditation time period. These were approved by the entire ECCE. A table identifying specific criteria for each compliance level then was created. The most recent evaluation reports for all accredited programs were reviewed to record compliance levels for each critical standard and identify the number falling below the status of "substantially compliant". Specific standards with the highest proportion falling below "substantially compliant" also were identified.

RESULTS

Eighteen of 37 standards were deemed critical. Two of 10 accredited programs had 0 "critical standards" below "substantially compliant" and two programs had three below this level. The most common standard to fall below "substantially compliant" was "faculty recruitment" with three programs (30%) at "partially compliant."

CONCLUSION

Identification and approval of "critical standards" requiring at least substantial compliance and the compliance criteria table facilitate implementation of the flexible 8-year reaccreditation period, providing the flexibility needed to work collaboratively with national accrediting agencies. "Faculty recruitment" standard had the highest percentage of programs rated as "partially" compliant.

Nationwide survey of experiential learning in MPharm programmes in UK Universities

OBJECTIVES

To determine the current structure of experiential learning (EL) in Master of Pharmacy (MPharm) programmes in UK universities, and assess how they meet the standards specified by the General Pharmaceutical Council.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey of staff in charge of EL in MPharm programmes was conducted, utilising a 31-item online survey, consisting of both open-ended and close-ended questions. Variables of interest were administrative aspects and structure of the EL component, tutor issues and placement sites. To pinpoint the challenges faced with EL, the Relative Importance Index (RII) was calculated.

KEY FINDINGS

Twenty (66.7%) universities responded. EL coordinators were mostly academic/teaching fellows (19) and spent 0.29 ± 0.31 full-time equivalents on coordination. Tutors completed training annually in 53.8% of universities, with topics focusing on placement structure (85.7%) and requirements (78.6%). Total placement hours in all practice sites over the 4 years of study ranged from 54 to 496 h, and included hospitals, community pharmacies, hospices, prisons and nursing homes. The three biggest challenges faced with regard to EL were in obtaining/retaining hospital placements (1st), financial support (2nd) and quality assurance (QA) of tutors (3rd).

CONCLUSIONS

While there has been an increase in the variety of placement sites and hours since the last survey in 2003, universities face challenges in terms of staffing and obtaining placement sites. There are also gaps in tutor training. More standardisation and regulation of the QA of the EL programme, placement sites and tutors is needed to ensure students obtain the most out of their placements.